SHS014: How Omari Harebin Grew His Affiliate Marketing Business To $4000 A Month!
Intro
Affiliate marketing is one of the most misunderstood ways to make money online.
Some people think it’s a scam. Others think it’s passive income with no work.
So what’s the truth?
In this episode of The Side Hustler’s Society, Elijah Bilel sits down with a seasoned expert to break it all down—from beginner strategies to advanced insights.
Subscribe To Elijah's New Youtube Channel, Social Dynamics
Find out the different ways that Elijah teaches to grow your network, plan events with big turnouts and advance in your career by cultivating the right relationships. Click here to join out newsletter and get started!
Intro to Omari Harebin
Founder of sqspthemes.com (a leading directory of Squarespace templates)
Digital entrepreneur who has generated over $1M in digital product sales
Specialist in affiliate marketing and digital products
Creator of the Digital Alchemy Lab community
Has been building online income streams since 2014
👉 Website: https://sqspthemes.com
👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OmariHarebin
Episode Overview
The conversation starts with a simple but important question:
👉 Is affiliate marketing a scam?
Both Elijah and Omari agree:
No—it’s not a scam. But it is misunderstood.
Affiliate marketing is simply:
Promoting a product or service
Earning a commission when someone buys through your link
Companies already have advertising budgets—they’re just choosing to pay based on results instead of upfront.
And that shift creates a huge opportunity.
🚀 Want to Become a Content Creator the Right Way?
If you’re serious about building a brand and making money as a creator:
👉 Join Awesome Creator Academy today!
This is one of the best places to learn:
How to grow your audience
How to monetize your content
How to build a real business as a creator
Click here to get started!
Listen to the Episode
Check us out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! While you’re there, hit subscribe so you don’t miss our latest episodes!
Side Hustler’s Society Resources
Financial Personality Success Bundle
Quick Takeaways
Affiliate marketing is performance-based income—not a scam
Elijah explains how referral income outperformed AdSense early on
You don’t need a huge audience to get started
Trust with your audience is your biggest asset
Content acts like a long-term income-producing asset
You can create affiliate partnerships—even if they don’t exist yet
Freelancing can fund your transition into affiliate income
SEO + content marketing are powerful for long-term growth
Passive income takes time—it’s not instant
Your everyday purchases can become income opportunities
Affiliate Marketing vs Traditional Work
One of the most important distinctions discussed:
👉 Traditional jobs pay you for time
👉 Affiliate marketing pays you for results
As Elijah explains, in a typical job:
You can generate sales
But your pay doesn’t change
With affiliate marketing:
If you drive a sale, you get paid
Why Affiliate Marketing Feels “Shady” to Some People
Omari shares an interesting perspective:
Many people dismiss affiliate marketing early because:
It sounds too good to be true
It doesn’t fit the “work → paycheck” model
Some promoters make unrealistic claims
He even admits he ignored it for years before taking it seriously.
The Turning Point: Passive Income Is Real
At one point, Omari logged into an old affiliate account and found:
👉 $444 waiting for him
He didn’t even remember placing the link.
That moment validated the model:
👉 Content + links = income over time
The Real Strategy: Content as an Asset
One of the most powerful ideas from this episode:
👉 Every piece of content is a seed
You create it once
It lives online forever
It can generate income years later
This is where affiliate marketing becomes powerful.
How to Get Started with Affiliate Marketing
Omari breaks it down into two key steps:
1. Build a Marketing Channel
You need a platform where people can find you:
YouTube
Blog
TikTok
Instagram
Consistency is key.
2. Promote What You Already Use
Instead of chasing random products:
👉 Start with what you already use and recommend
Ask yourself:
What do people ask you about?
What tools do you use daily?
What do you naturally recommend?
Then:
Join their affiliate programs
Share your real experience
Advanced Insight: Creating Your Own Affiliate Deals
Omari didn’t just join affiliate programs…
👉 He helped create them
He would:
Identify products his audience needed
Reach out to creators
Set up affiliate partnerships
Sometimes those programs didn’t even exist yet.
Affiliate Marketing vs Freelancing
A key comparison in the episode:
Freelancing
Faster income
Active work
Requires client interaction
Affiliate Marketing
Slower to start
Passive over time
Scales with content
Elijah Bilel shares that freelancing helped fund his transition into:
YouTube
Affiliate income
Multiple income streams
The Biggest Mistake Beginners Make
👉 Expecting quick results
Affiliate marketing is:
A long-term strategy
A content-driven model
A patience game
The “Consumption → Production” Mindset
One of the strongest concepts from the episode:
👉 Turn everything you consume into something that pays you
Use a tool → get the affiliate link
Recommend it → earn commissions
Create content → scale it
Who This Episode Is For
Beginners curious about affiliate marketing
Content creators not making money yet
Freelancers looking to scale income
Anyone who wants passive income online
Key Topics Covered
Affiliate marketing myths vs reality
Building passive income with content
How Omari Harebin approaches partnerships
Transitioning from freelancing to scalable income
How Elijah Bilel builds income streams